Electronic discovery, commonly referred to as e-discovery, refers to any process in which electronic data is sought, located, secured and searched with the intent of using it as evidence in a legal proceeding, an audit, a securities investigation, a forensics investigation or the like. E-discovery can be carried out offline on a particular computer or it can be accomplished in a network environment.
The nature of digital data makes it extremely well-suited for investigation. In particular, digital data can be electronically searched with ease, whereas paper documents must be scrutinized manually. Furthermore, digital data is difficult or impossible to completely destroy, particularly if the data is stored in a network environment. This is because the data appears on multiple hard drives, and because digital files, even if deleted, generally can be undeleted. In fact, the only reliable means of destroying digital data is to physically destroy any and all hard drives where it is stored.
In the process of electronic discovery, data of all types can serve as evidence. This can include text, image, calendar event data, databases, spreadsheets, audio files, multimedia files, web sites and computer programs. Electronic mail (i.e., e-mail) can be an especially valuable source of evidence in civil or criminal litigation, because people are often less careful in these exchanges than in hard copy correspondence such as written memos or postal letters.
E-discovery is an evolving field that goes far beyond mere technology. It gives rise to multiple issues, many of which have yet to be resolved. For example, identifying data required to satisfy a given discovery request, locating the appropriate set of data that has been identified, and retrieving the data once it has been identified and located all pose problems in and of themselves. This is especially evident if the data that is being identified, located and retrieved comes from an evolving or disparate enterprise, such as a corporation that has experienced mergers, acquisitions, downsizing and the like. Mergers and acquisitions mean that the technology infrastructure across the enterprise may vary, at least in the interim. However, e-discovery must be able locate and retrieve data from these disparate technology infrastructure in a timely fashion, sometimes within days of when the merger/acquisition occurs.
In addition to identifying, locating and retrieving digital data, the most critical part of any electronic discovery is the preservation of data, which involves maintaining an original source copy and storing it for preservation purposes or furthering processing. This too becomes a daunting task for the enterprise system that encompasses a myriad of different technology infrastructures and the like. Therefore, a need exists to improve the identification, location, retrieval and preservation processes, especially in instances in which the enterprise system includes disparate technology infrastructures and the like.
As previously noted, e-discovery, as opposed as conventional discovery of printed materials, provides for the ability to filter or search the data so as to reduce the volume of data to only that which is relevant to the request. Such searching is typically accomplished by determining a specific date range for the request, providing key words relevant to the case and the like. Improvements in the area of searching are greatly in need to further add efficiency to the overall e-discovery process.
Once data has been retrieved, preserved and, in some instances, searched the electronic data may be reviewed by the requesting entry, such as a law firm, securities commission or the like. While large requests are generally suited for online review, the manner in which the data is presented for review adds efficiency to the review process and ultimately drives the cost of the review process. Therefore, improvements in the manner in which data is presented for review are also desirable as a means of increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
Lastly, once the digital data has been reviewed, data identified as relevant may need to be produced in a tangible format for further analysis or legal evidentiary purposes. The produced documents must be properly identified and include necessary redactions and confidentiality markings.
Up until now, e-discovery management has been conducted on a case-by-case basis, meaning all tasking and workflow related to the e-discovery is based at the case level. Such management does not allow for finer granularity in the management of a case or for links to exist between different cases for the purpose of leveraging the e-discovery related to one case to another new or pre-existing case. Therefore, a need exists to improve the manner in which cases are managed and, in particular, how tasking and workflow are managed depending on case requirements and the like.
Specific problems associated with electronic discovery are related to the inefficiencies and the inaccuracies in the document review process. Document redundancy, in the form of identical documents or documents that are highly similar, leads to reviewers having to review and code the same or highly similar document numerous times. Such redundant reviewing and coding of documents unnecessarily increases review time. In addition, when the same or highly similar document is reviewed by more than one reviewer the likelihood exists that the different reviewers will code the document differently. Such differences in coding the same or highly similar document provide for inaccuracies that question the overall reliability of the review process.
In addition to problems associated with the redundant review of documents, another problem is perceived by document review assignments that are random in scope and, thus, require the reviewer to determine the context and/or applicability of each and every document in the assignment in order to gauge the relevancy of the document and properly code the document. Such randomness or lack of focus in the document review process not only frustrates the review but adds to the overall review time.
Therefore, a need exists to provide for efficiency and accuracy within the document review processing stage of an electronic discovery system. The desired methods, apparatus and systems should provide for limiting the amount of document redundancy in the data to be reviewed by lessening or eliminating the occurrence of identical documents or highly similar documents. By eliminating document redundancy not only is the overall review time reduced but review reliability is increased by not subjecting the same or highly similar documents to multiple review by various different reviewers. In addition, the desired method, apparatus and system should provide for targeted document review assignments that are limited in terms of concepts or search terms, thereby decreasing the time for review further because the documents in the assignment are conceptually related.